Minnesota

Joint Analysis Center

What is a fusion center?

 “A collaborative effort of two or more

agencies that provide resources, expertise,
and information to the center with the goal of
maximizing their ability to detect, prevent,
investigate, and respond to criminal and
terrorist activity.” (Fusion Center Guidelines)
 Goal: Provide a mechanism through which
government, law enforcement, public safety,
and the private sector can come together
with a common purpose to protect the
homeland and prevent criminal activity.
Why Fusion Centers?

 9/11 Commission recommendations

 National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan
 On-going threats / International & Domestic
Fusion Center Role
“Fusion: Turning information and intelligence into actionable knowledge”

Local, Tribal, State Government Officials Private Sector

Law Enforcement and First Responders

FIG/JTTF Terrorism & Criminal Other State

Mpls FBI Criminal Information Information Fusion Centers
Criminal Information

BCA, HSEM, Local LE Agencies,

Terrorism &

National Guard, FBI, DHS

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DOJ/FBI Department of Department of Defense

Homeland Security
MNJAC Background & Mission
 Established on DHS grants May 2005 under HSEM
 Located in Minneapolis
 Structure restricts mission
 June 2007 restructured under BCA to address mission restrictions & organization

MNJAC Mission Statement

The mission of the Minnesota Joint Analysis
Center (MNJAC) is to collect, evaluate, analyze and
disseminate information regarding organized criminal,
terrorist and all hazardous activity in the State of
Minnesota while complying with state and federal law to
ensure the rights and privacy of all.
MNJAC Purpose

 Primary Goal – Information exchange to promote state wide

sharing related to terrorism, criminal activity, significant events
and critical infrastructure protection

 Primary fusion center contact for FBI & DHS information

sharing

 Provide interstate connection (72 state & local fusion centers)

 Statewide scope

 Promote regionalization

 Provide training and analytical support to agencies

Staffing & Funding (current)

 14 staff positions/ 10 agencies (full and PT)

 6 regional representatives
 Oversight Group established by Memo of
Understanding (MOU)
 Under supervision of BCA subject to DPS policies
and state law
 Funding provided by DHS Homeland Security Grant
Program through HSEM & BJA Office of Justice
Programs
Information & Investigative Support

 Homeland security-related information

 Law enforcement inquiries
 Pattern & trend analysis
 State contacts
 Federal contacts
 Significant event information
 Subject matter research
 Facilitation and sponsor of LE, First Responder, and
Homeland Security training
 MNJAC Training & Liaison
Hosted / Facilitated / Promoted
Int’l
& Domestic Terrorism
Financial Crimes / ID Theft
LE Investigative Support
Analyst Training
Fire & First Responder
Data Practices
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
MNJAC staff presentations & briefings to state, regional, & local groups
Agencies Providing Support
 U.S. Dept. of Justice
 U.S. Attorney’s Office
 DHS
 FBI
 Secret Service
 FLETC
 HSEM
 MN State Fire Chief’s Assn.
 Hennepin Fire Chief’s Assn.
MNJAC Data Handling

MNJAC Data

 MNJAC Briefs & Assessments

 Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR)
 Request For Information (RFI)
 MNJAC Cases
 MNJAC Products

Minnesota Joint Analysis

Suspicious Activity Reporting

 “Community Policing” / “Community Oriented Policing” /

“Problem Oriented Policing” / “Neighborhood Watch”
 Law enforcement focus for decades: Community members
have a better sense of what is suspicious in their
neighborhoods
 Community member reporting to LE is a regular occurrence
 SAR process focuses on what law enforcement agencies
have been doing for years—gathering information regarding
behaviors and incidents associated with crime and
establishing a process whereby information can be shared to
detect and prevent criminal activity, including that associated
with domestic and international terrorism
Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) for
MNJAC

 Any reported activity that results in the reasonable suspicion that a crime has
occurred, could occur or is being planned.
 Any reported information related to criminal activity that is submitted to the MNJAC
in the form of a bulletin or brief from a fusion center, law enforcement intelligence
unit or federal agency to provide situational awareness to Minnesota agencies.
 A SAR is reported to the MNJAC by a law enforcement entity or security related to
a CIKR site once it has been reported to a local law enforcement agency.
 The MNJAC receives SARs by the following means: ICEFISHX, Fax, Telephone,
Email
 Upon receipt:
 Documentation in MNJAC case management system
 Vetting of report
 Dissemination / Share?
MNJAC Policy Direction

Initial Review of MNJAC Operations

 June 2007 MNJAC placed under BCA supervision

 BCA and MNJAC leadership assess operations for compliance and identification of policy needs
 Engagement of Fusion Center Technical Assistance and development /update of MNJAC policy/procedures

MNJAC Policy

 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

 MNJAC Operations Policy/Procedure Manual
 MNJAC Privacy Policy
 Records Retention Schedule
 Public & Private Data Requests per BCA policy and procedures
MNJAC Privacy Policy Committee est May 2008

12 members - public safety information practitioners and information

privacy advocates

MNJAC Privacy Policy Committee recommendations

MNJAC Audit
 Oversight Group responsible for conducting/coord. Audits
 Two Part Audit completed June 1, 2010
 Part 1 MNJAC operations against Chapter 13 & Privacy Policy / Desyl
Peterson
 Part 2 MNJAC operations against 28 CFR part 23 / John Wilson
 Results: MNJAC Response to Recommendations, MNJAC Policy & MOU
updates, overall positive report by auditors
MNJAC Data Handling

 MNJAC Data managed and tracked through BCA/ACISS case

management system
 MNJAC sharing facilitated via secure web system (based on right to know and
need to know)

Data subject to MN Chapter 13

Privacy Policy Requirements

 Reliable source
 Reasonable suspicion
 Collected lawfully
 Information is accurate and current
MNJAC/ACISS Case Management
System

 Records system within BCA network security

 Access password protected and logged (auditable)
 Standardized labeling (consistent with MNJAC Privacy Policy
and 28 CFR)
 Checks and balances
 Supervisor approval of records
 180 day automated status check
 Background documentation/dissemination attached
 Annual purge of qualifying records
Nationwide SAR Initiative (NSI)

 Responds directly to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism

Prevention Act of 2004 and the National Strategy for Information
Sharing (October 2007)
 Purpose: To establish a unified approach at all levels of government
to gather, document, process, analyze, and share information about
terrorism-related suspicious activities
 The NSI is based on the ISE-SAR Functional Standard
 Ensures that terrorism-related SARs are made available to federal,
state, and local law enforcement agencies and state and major
urban area fusion centers
 Integrates state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies’ SAR
processes into a nationwide standardized and institutionalized effort
 Defined Criteria with Narrow Focus

“Observed behavior reasonably indicative of pre-operational planning

related to terrorism or other criminal activity.”
 Based on Information Sharing Environment (ISE) Functional Standard
ver. 1.5
 Two ISE Functional Standard categories:
 Defined Criminal Activity and Potential Terrorism Nexus Activity
(Breach/Attempted Intrusion, Misrepresentation, Theft/Loss/Diversion,
Sabotage/Tampering/Vandalism, Cyber Attack, Expressed or Implied Threat,
Aviation Activity)
 Potential Criminal or Non-Criminal Activity Requiring Additional
Fact Information During Investigation (Eliciting Information, Testing or
Probing of Security, Recruiting, Photography, Observation/Surveillance, Materials
Acquisition/Storage, Acquisition of Expertise, Weapons Discovery, Sector-Specific
Incident)
 At no time can race, ethnicity, religious beliefs or nationality be a basis
for the reported activity being considered suspicious
 Required training component (Analyst & Line Officer)
 MNJAC Engagement
 MNJAC Oversight Group Guidance
 Shared Space Solution / Separate Stand Alone Server / Read Only

 Submission of qualifying ISE/SAR data only as summary data to shared

space (No personal identifying information)

 Limited initial roll out (still in development)
 MNJAC Privacy Policy under review for ISE/DHS standard (2010 grant
requirement)
 Participating agency acknowledgement of privacy policy
 SAR submission to MNJAC through existing process
 Entered into MNJAC case management system for vetting, investigation &
consideration as ISE/SAR
 ISE/DHS compliant MNJAC Privacy Policy will be presented to Privacy
Policy Committee prior to MNJAC Oversight Group
 Challenges

 Developing information/intelligence
sharing systems which:
 Are legislatively sound
 Are respectful of privacy & civil liberties
 Balance accessibility and security
 Provide useful products
 Are sustainable
Questions?